Liverpool legend brands talk of Klopp’s side blowing title bid ‘nonsense, absolute garbage’

Talk of Liverpool blowing a bid for the Premier League crown has been branded “nonsense" and "absolute garbage” by Gary Gillespie, a title-winning star of the Reds’ past.

Questions have started to be asked of the Anfield outfit after a testing week which has seen them surrender their place at the top of the table to reigning champions Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have only slipped to second on goal difference, have suffered just one defeat all season and now boast a game in hand on the Blues.

Murmurs of nerves and pressure have been doing the rounds, though, with it suggested that a 29-year wait for top-flight glory may be about to tick over into a third decade.

Gillespie, who tasted league and European Cup success during his time at Anfield, is not buying any of that, with the former Scotland international telling BBC Radio Merseyside: “I've been on social media today and I've picked up this tweet.

“In the last 10 games Man City have dropped 12 points Liverpool have dropped seven. City have lost to three of the teams outside the top six, Liverpool have drawn with two. And it's perceived that we are bottling it?

“It's all about perception.

“People can write what they like but anybody that thinks that because Liverpool have drawn the last two games, that's them blown it and they're out of it, the pressure's got too much for them... nonsense, absolute garbage, just like it was garbage when Man City were seven points behind, they were out of the title race.

“Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense.

“People who have never been in football and don't appreciate it and don't understand what winning leagues and winning titles is all about make stupid remarks.

“Come May that's when it's handed out and if we've got the points we've won the league. And if we haven't, so be it.”

Gillespie added while looking to put a positive spin on successive stalemates against Leicester and West Ham: “Are we of the belief that the Premier League is the hardest league in the world?

“So any time that you go away from home in the Premier League you are going to face a tough team.

“There are going to be ups and downs all the way to the end of the season. What you have to put into perspective is that we didn't lose the game.

“Two games where we've not played well - Leicester and west Ham - we didn't lose.

“Sometimes these points are good points. Especially the Leicester game I thought was a good point for us because we could easily have lost that.”

Liverpool will be looking to make a return to winning ways on Saturday when they play host to Bournemouth – with a position result in that contest set to take them back to the summit as City are not in action at home to Chelsea until Sunday.